Launch Day

by Jessica Ronne

Today is Launch Day.The official day where twelve years of hard work and desire come to fruition.Desire to write through Luke’s diagnosis.Desire to write through Jason’s cancer.Desire to take all of those writings and turn it into a memoir of hope and call is Sunlight Burning at Midnight.Today is the day it all happens and honestly?It’s been a low key, quiet kind of day. There has been so much build up and hype – my heart and soul poured into this this whole process now for a really long time that today I took a step back and just was. By that statement I mean I accomplished things unrelated to the book or social media or marketing or anything along those lines, and instead, I cleaned the kitchen.I made homemade tortillas and coleslaw.I slow cooked a chicken curry for hours, the delicious smell tempting me back into the kitchen time and time again to stir and to taste, of course.I walked with my baby and met my other half for lunch. It was a good day. A day of doing for my family and not so much for me.

Launch Day is kind of interesting really. Many of you have had copies in hand for weeks now due to the books that I’ve offered on this site and my Facebook page. To those of you who have received and read your pre-ordered copies, thank you for the kind words and encouragement. Thank you as well to those of you who have graciously shared those kind words in an Amazon review (those reviews really help new authors!). Thank you from the bottom of my being because it is oftentimes (like always!) a frightening thing to put your soul on paper for the whole world to read, and thank you for being gentle with my soul.

The significance of Launch Day? Well, I suppose this means that the book is now available in most places (the ebook will be available this weekend). I suppose this also means that the book may start to reach people who might not be as gentle with my soul because they haven’t been along for the whole journey so maybe I need to brace for some of that (sorry, I have a bit of pessimism left in me).I suppose it also means that my story might reach and touch and encourage a whole new audience – a whole new group of people might begin to turn their gaze to the Heavens for answers and Lord knows, we need people to turn their gaze in this direction more than ever before.

Launch Day is really just a simple day for this mom of eight.It’s been quite the ride getting here, and I think now that it’s finally here, I might rest a bit.I’ve got babies to raise and students to teach and teenagers to help through their issues (and they have a few) and a husband to love.I’ll put down my phone more often, close my laptop, and try to be just a little more present for my family until God pricks at my heart to pick up my pen once again – and I will – I just need to live it first.

Just keep livin!

(P.S. I will continue to autograph books that are ordered on the website and the Facebook page).